New Delhi, June 29 -- President Donald Trump's $4.5 trillion tax cut bill cleared a major hurdle in the Senate, passing a key test vote with a narrow 51-49 margin after hours of tense negotiations led by Vice President JD Vance and GOP leadership.

The vote, which remained open for nearly four hours, signalled that Republican leaders are overcoming internal divisions and making progress toward meeting Trump's July 4 deadline for final passage.

Following the vote, President Trump hailed the outcome as a "historic step forward" for American taxpayers, praising Senate Republicans for advancing what he called "the largest middle-class tax cut in history."

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Tonight we saw a GREAT VICTORY in the Senate ...